FAIRHOPE, Ala. — Negotiations between Auburn University leaders and Baldwin County officials regarding land access are a distant memory, and construction of the County Road 13 corridor north of Alabama Highway 104 is now under way.

County Engineer Cal Markert said the work began in earnest in September after some delays, with Spanish Fort-based Ammons and Blackmon Construction serving as general contractor for the two-lane road project.

Scott Bridge Co. of Opelika, Ala. is the contractor handling erection of the 780-foot bridge that will span Fly Creek and adjacent wetlands. Markert said, “It’s a local company, and we’re proud of that.”

The $11.5 million project should be completed in about a year. Once it opens, drivers will have another north-south route that will stretch between U.S. Highway 98 in Barnwell and Highway 90 in Daphne.

The current three-mile project will connect 104 with an existing section of CR 13 that now abruptly ends about a half-mile south of County Road 64.

“It’s going along pretty good,” Markert said of the progress. “Everything seems to be going pretty smooth. The contractor has clearing done on one section, has the bad soil out, the drainage fixed and erosion controls up. The bridge contractor is about to get started.”

He pointed out that the trees and underbrush being cut so work may proceed are not being wasted by hauling the debris to a landfill, but rather are being recycled, with some used as fuel.

Heavy rains in recent days have temporarily caused the project to grind to a halt. Markert said, “They can’t work when it’s raining or wet.”

It’s not yet known whether there will be a traffic signal at the intersection of 104 and 13, he said. County officials are working with the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) on the matter, and the state agency will make the final decision if placing one there is necessary.

“We’ll be making substantial improvements to the intersection whether we have a red light or not,” Markert said.

The crossroad will be changed to meet state requirements by raising the grade of County Road 13 to match the current elevation of 104. It’s somewhat difficult now for drivers attempting to turn from 13 onto 104 to see eastbound traffic approaching due to a hill west of the intersection.

ALDOT is planning to extend CR 13 even further north, taking it from Highway 90 to Interstate 10, and adding an interchange there. The county and state will partner in building a service road north of the Interstate from the new interchange to the Spanish Fort Town Center, where Bass Pro Shops, J.C. Penney and Kohl’s are located.